“Besides, I’m basically fully recovered and doing well.”

Ian still wasn’t reassured. “Miss Aurora, let me come over and check on you. Where are you?”

Aurora glanced at the internal phone in her hand and listened to the words, still finding it hard to believe. Was this really her subordinate? Why was he being so slow-witted?

“Well…” Aurora hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Lucas, standing beside her, grew anxious watching the way the two of them communicated. Why was it so hard for them to carry a simple conversation?

Aurora noticed Lucas’ gaze and felt a bit embarrassed herself. She hadn’t expected things to turn out like this either. “I’m in the office right now. That’s why I used the internal line to call you.”

Hearing that, Ian slapped his forehead as realization dawned. Right, what kind of question had he just asked? Was his brain not working? “Sorry, Miss Aurora. I’m on my way.”

Aurora repeated, “Bring over the key project documents from this past month, the ones related to payroll.”

“Got it, no problem, I’ll be right there.” Ian’s voice was filled with unmistakable joy. This past month had been too hard on him. Every day felt like a struggle, weighed down by exhaustion and longing. He’d been counting the days on his fingers, always wondering when Aurora would finally return. Sometimes, he even wondered what the point of holding on was.

But now that Aurora was back, Ian finally felt that all of it had been worth it. His persistence had found its meaning. After hanging up the call, he was so thrilled that he pinched himself a few times just to make sure it was real. When the sting came, he realized that Aurora had truly returned. Without delay, Ian gathered the past month’s documents and hurried toward Aurora’s office.

Along the way, everyone who saw him could sense his good mood. Anyone who greeted him was met with a smile so wide it nearly overflowed.

“Mr. Ian, why are you in such a good mood today?”

Ian thought to himself, since Aurora hadn’t even informed him of her return, she must have her own reasons. He figured he shouldn’t disrupt her plans. So, he changed his tone and just smiled. “You’ll all find out soon enough.”

With that, Ian gave a quick nod and was about to leave. “I’ve got something to do. You guys carry on.”

His coworkers looked at him in confusion, unsure what he meant.

“Did anyone understand that?” One of them asked, clearly puzzled.

Everyone shook their heads. “No idea. We don’t know what he meant either.” They exchanged glances, reading the same confusion and cluelessness in each other’s expressions. In the end, they all sighed and agreed to let it go for now.

“Whatever it is, let’s just focus on our own work. We’ll find out eventually.” The others nodded in agreement, thinking that made sense. After all, Ian had said they’d know in due time.